For his new position on the board of directors of Rugby Canada, Brian Burke draws on the experience of his long and successful career as an executive in the National Hockey League.

Yes, we’re playfully trying to get a rise out of you, Leafs Nation.

So the results may not have been there in Toronto, but he did win a Stanley Cup as the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks and had good stints in Hartford and Vancouver.

But what’s only becoming known now is that Burke has some history with the sport of rugby.

“I played five years in the top league in New England,” Burke said. “And I thought it was a pretty good league until I moved to Vancouver and watched club rugby there. I realized we weren’t that good.”

His career as a tight-head prop came when he was a law student at Harvard University and during his first year as a young lawyer in Boston.

“I think every long-term injury I had came from rugby,” he said. “I had both shoulders done. I had my right knee done twice.”

“It’s a hard game to excel at. The premium on teamwork is higher in rugby than any other sport. One mistake by one player has more consequences on the other players than it does in any other sport.”

The timing of Burke’s appointment to the board coincides with the build-up to Saturday’s Rugby World Cup qualifying match between Canada and the United States at BMO Field. Burke was thrilled with the invitation to join the board.

“The media response has been positive,” he said. “Basically anything I can do to take rugby to the next level in this country. I will.”

“They don’t need help on the technical side. But I do know about marketing and putting a sport and a league on a certain footing. It’s a sport I respect very much and love very much.”

Let’s not get carried away, though. Like many people who serve on boards of sports, charities, or social service agencies, this is just a voluntary advisory position. Currently back working with the Ducks as a part-time scout, Burke, vocationally remains fully involved in hockey and is still interested in getting back into a management position with an NHL club.

In addition, Burke is also the director of player personnel for the 2014 U.S. Olympic hockey team. He was general manager of the 2010 U.S. team that lost the gold medal game in Vancouver to Canada in overtime.

The one thing that can help rugby in Canada is a professional league. Even on a modest scale, the chance for young players to see quality rugby and for national team members to play at home instead of having to find work in Europe or one of the power nations in the southern hemisphere, would benefit the sport in this country overall.

“In my view, it’s a game that was perfected and honed overseas,” Burke said. “It’s a late-comer for us. A professional league is coming. I can’t give you a timeframe, but that’s our goal.”

That goal could get closer with a good turnout for Saturday’s match, one which will see Canada qualify for the 2015 World Cup in England with a win or a loss of less than 18 points. And while rugby remains on the fringes of the Canadian sports landscape, the sport is gaining ground on television, in the stands, and with the country’s youth on the pitch.

And regardless of what you thought of his tenure with the Leafs, having the passionate voice and experience of Brian Burke involved in the sport of rugby can only help its growth.